Layers Peeled (12 page)

Much
worse,
I thought.

Laura laughed.
I couldn’t hear a falter of nerves in her voice. She was a pro at
this.

“Are you?” I
asked her.

Electricity
buzzed through the lamp above us as she examined us and we her.

Then we all
laughed. As bitchy as Mercedes had been the last time I saw her,
she had grown on me since then. I wondered what her life would be
like if someone had steered her on a different path.

“Listen, if
you ever want a career change, come to this address and ask for
Allie.” I reached into my bustier, scribbled my cell number on the
back, and handed her a card. It was a reckless thing to do out
here, where anyone could come up to us with a gun and find out
exactly who we were, but if I didn’t do anything and just left
her... no, that was wrong. And I couldn’t straight out ask her to
come to rehab or the shelter for women. Prostitution for the
veterans here was like a drug—even worse because they volunteered
their bodies knowingly. Seeing no other choice in their life and no
way out, many girls feared their pimps’ punishment—or worse.

Aware of a
group of working ladies nearby, Laura tactfully handed her a crisp
hundred. “For your trouble and discretion.”

We turned
around and headed east to where we’d parked the car.

“Hey,”
Mercedes called after us waving the card, “I’ll call you if I see
her.”

“Thanks!” I
waved back.

Once out of
earshot Laura strained to keep a straight face as she asked, “So
this is where you picked up the daddy?”

I should have
seen that one coming. “It’s a long story, but yeah. This is the
place Kendra was taken from when she was dealing. Tristan drove by
every night until we got her.”

“A dedicated
fella’, isn’t he? You’re not afraid he still has something going
for her?”

“No. He’s been
pretty clear about how he feels.”

While I had
suspicions there was more to their past, I didn’t quite know what
to make of it just yet.

We turned the
corner where I’d conspicuously parked my white Bentley behind a
garbage container. In this neighborhood, leaving a car like this
one was like taunting a bear with honey, but we had to make sure we
could get away quickly – just in case.

“This belongs
to you?” One of the hookers pointed to our car. She’d been eyeing
us this evening and had followed us around the corner. And if she
thought we didn’t know it, she was mistaken. But Laura and I didn’t
need trouble on the first night Tristan agreed to let me go
undercover, so we hoped she’d eventually ignore us. Even with the
comfort of our backup nearby, the less attention we could draw, the
better.

“You better
walk away,” Laura warned.

“I asked you a
question, bitch,” she barked back.

“It’s none of
your business, bitch.”

I could see
Laura’s patience was being tested. If it wasn’t for my pregnancy,
she’d already be knocking the bimbo with a monstrous puff on her
head onto the ground.

Three more
women joined in from behind her.

“This is our
street and we don’t like other whores stealing our clients.”

I raised my
hands up and spat my gum to the side. “Look, we’re not looking for
trouble. We’ll be on our way and you can keep your clients for
yourselves.”

But the puff
queen pressed her fist into her palm, saying, “It’s too late for
that. We’ve already seen cars pass by us to get a look at you, and
you need to be reminded not to ever come here again.”

The other
three mimicked her had motion, preparing to actually fight us in
their fuck-me pumps.
What was this, a high school bully team of
sluts?

“Listen,
Snooki-wanna-be. Turn around and we’ll leave your fake teeth
intact. In fact, we’ll leave everything that’s fake on your body
alone. Well, I guess that would be all of you, then, wouldn’t
it?”

Yeah, Laura
wasn’t letting it go at this point either. Her verbal tone was
intended to fluster and anger the woman. And it did.

She stuck out
her red claws and lunged at Laura with a scream that could be heard
for miles. I was sure slaughtered pigs made less noise. And as
expected, Laura simply moved to the side and the whacko completely
missed her, almost running into the garbage container. I couldn’t
help but laugh. Even the crew that followed her had a good chuckle,
which infuriated our attacker. If raging bulls with horns could
reincarnate into humans, they would look exactly like this
prostitute.

As I was now
the one closer to her, she rushed at me. I grasped her arm and
flipped her. She flew up and over her own body, somersaulting in
the air, and crashed to the concrete - onto her back. Her black wig
resembling a mop lay in a small puddle at the side. Moaning in
pain, she’d probably feel tonight’s brawl for a couple of days.

I patted my
belly saying to the baby, “That’s how you defend yourself. Keep
calm and aware of your opponent.”

“Anyone else?”
Laura motioned them with her hands to come at her. But we could see
from the shocked expressions on the others that they didn’t seem
too keen to end up like their friend. “Or would you rather go out
on the street and earn something tonight?”

They all
backed away and left.

Laura kicked
the hair toward its owner, who was curled up against the wall.
“Some bitches are just not meant to be saved.”

I unlocked the
car door. The lights flashed in the alley and we both got in. I
felt awful for these women, but Laura was right. Some of them were
beyond even our help, and so I asked her, “Do you think James would
know something about Marissa? He was there that night at the
auction.”

“Maybe. He
could still be at the office. Why didn’t I think to ask him
before?”

“Perhaps
you’ve been too busy screwing him front, left, and center?”

She stuck out
her tongue at me. “He’s been coordinating the stings and rescues.
His plate is pretty full.”

“Let’s go to
Manhattan, then.” I said wondering what the man who’s managed to go
out with Laura more than once could know.

I turned on
the ignition. It had be a while before I got used to the quiet
sound of nothing when the car started. In the beginning I’d had a
difficult time believing the engine was actually working.

Laura switched
the radio station to oldies. Stevie Wonder sang “I just called.”
Laura picked up on Stevie’s message and asked, “Are you in love?”
The way she asked me the question sent chills up and down my arms.
But in a good way, because someone else saying it made it that much
more believable.

“Yes, it’s
gotten pretty serious. Laura, he bought us a house. Who buys a
house?” I turned a corner onto a wider street.

“A sexy hunk
who cherishes the ground you walk on. Do I hear wedding bells in
the near future? Should I start arranging your bachelorette
party?”

“Don’t get
ahead of yourself. It doesn’t matter whether we get married, so
long as we’re happy and together.”

But something
inside me stirred in argument. As forward-looking as Tristan was,
he was also a very traditional man. Could he really settle for a
family with me and Puss without a proper blessing?

“Are you
afraid to commit?” she asked.

I went up a
ramp on the freeway that would take us back to Manhattan. “To
Tristan? No. It’s just difficult for me to picture a happy
marriage. I mean, his parents have it, so obviously it’s possible.
But...”

She touched my
shoulder. “Allie, why would you think it wouldn’t happen for
you?”

I could feel
her burning gaze on the side of my face. I’d never had anyone I
could talk to about this, not even Tristan. I’d always wanted to be
strong for him, hoping I’d eventually figure out why I thought I
didn’t deserve some peace in my life. Actually, I knew pretty well
why not, it was just that I’d never voiced it before.

“Bad things
follow me in life. I’m not as strong as you may think. I’m a
coward, Laura.”

“You’re the
biggest badass cop I’ve ever known. What are you talking about?”
She reached forward and turned up the heat.

“That’s only
because I’m trying to make up for what I should have done thirteen
years ago.”

She took a
pause, and I knew she was calculating my age in her head.

“When you were
a child? For goodness sake, Allie, whatever happened, you can’t put
the blame on a child. Come on, you know firsthand how cruel this
world can be for children.”

She didn’t
even know how close she was to the truth. Even if Wright was no
longer in my life, somehow I was always looking over my shoulder,
wondering if he was watching from somewhere in the distance. The
feeling was always there. Caution and quick thinking had protected
me and my mother for over a decade. But now I had Tristan. I knew
he’d protect me too. But as many times as he’d convinced me the
bastard was gone, hours later I’d be feeling wary all over again.
It’d become a habit.

“Don’t let it
consume you or stop you from being happy and having a normal family
with the man you love.”

I took a deep
breath in and shook my head on the exhale. “I don’t have much
choice. My past has chased me all the way to the future.”

“Does Tristan
know?”

“That I’m a
coward?

“No, about
your past.”

“He does. He
sort of helped me resolve some issues already.”

“And you’re
not a coward, Allie. Can’t you see fate has stepped in to make it
up to you in the form of a yummy man with top-menu muscles?”

Yes, for Laura
a lot of issues boiled down to sexy men and night-long
quickies.

But was it
possible Laura was right? Could things actually turn around for me
and Tristan and last longer than a few weeks or months? Could we be
happy? I couldn’t think about it at the moment. The thought of
Marissa out there all alone consumed me. Why did I feel this
strange attachment to her?

As we’d
predicted, James was upstairs, working in his office. This guy put
in even longer hours than Tristan did, but I also knew he wanted to
impress his new boss. His tie was loosened around his neck. When he
looked up and saw us, specifically Laura, his expression shifted to
one I recognized on Tristan as well. James was ready to relax, and
there was only one person who could help him do that. With just
that one look I suddenly felt like a third wheel.

“Tristan
called.” His attention moved to me for the mere moment it needed
to, but I could tell his gaze kept skidding to Laura and her
fuck me now
fishnet stockings, which were begging to be
ripped off.

“May I use
your phone?” I asked.

“Of
course.”

I’d left my
phone in the car when we spoke to Mercedes, but I didn’t see any
missed messages on my cell. I knew Tristan was trying to appear
like he wasn’t worried and trusted me, but inside he was probably
aching to keep his eye on me more than he admitted.

I dialed home.
Tristan picked up after the first ring.

“Hi,
baby.”

“Hi, baby,
yourself. I just wanted to check in and tell you we’re back at the
office. I should be heading home in about half an hour.”

“So I assume
everything went well?” he asked.

I quickly told
him the events of the evening adding, “We were never in any danger.
I would have called for backup.”

“I don’t doubt
you, Allie. So, should I get the ice cream ready?” he teased.

I lowered my
voice into the receiver. “Why don’t you surprise me?” From the
corner of my eye, I could tell Laura and James were engrossed in
their own flirting. He tried to cover the view with his body as his
hand slid up her thigh. Those two needed to be alone, and it had to
be fast. Otherwise I’d start burning in their heated desire, and I
really didn’t want that image imprinted on my brain. And for
goodness sake, where was that funny feeling coming from in my
tummy? Of course, any thought of sex drove me to think about
Tristan.

“As you wish.”
I almost heard him grin over the phone. Then I walked further away
from Laura and James.

“I miss you.”
I bit my lip.

“I miss you,
too. Can’t wait until you get home. It’s pretty lonely without you
here.”

“I won’t be
long. I promise.”

After he hung
up, I stared across the Hudson River as if trying to locate our new
home, wishing the distance between us wasn’t that large. Now I
understood why Tristan had chosen to live in Manhattan. Would he
now sell his apartment? Had he already? The night sky was clear and
the city lights overpowered the stars shining from the top. There
was something beautiful and peaceful about looking at all the
buildings and houses, and knowing people were sound asleep or
getting ready for bed. Yet there were those on the streets without
homes, for whom peaceful dreams wouldn’t come until they died.

The duo of
lovebirds who claimed they weren’t serious were staring at each
other like love-sick puppies. Thank goodness there was no bowl full
of spaghetti between them, otherwise the Lady and the Tramp would
slurp on the pasta string so they could smooch ‘accidentally.’
Although I must say, in her skimpy dress, Laura was the one who
resembled the tramp tonight – and James fully appreciated it.

“Argh.” I
cleared my throat, and Laura jumped off his desk as if she’d been
burned by fire.

“James, that
night at the auction, do you remember the girl standing next to
me?” I showed him her mug shot.

“Remember her?
She’s the reason I was there. Where did you get that?” He took the
photo from my hand, puzzled.

“She’s in our
files.”

He opened his
drawer and handed me one of his own folders. “Definitely not all of
your files.”

Ruffling
through his set of papers, the names that popped out looked
familiar, and the little information we sought as to who could have
had her was all there.